I just read “Why I Am Establishing the Justin Sun Prize” by @Justin Sun孙宇晨 , and I think the most interesting part is not simply that Justin is launching a mathematics prize.
It is the mechanism behind it.
Justin explains that much of the blockchain industry was built on mathematics, from elliptic-curve cryptography to hash functions. In his own words, the prize gives back to the foundation that made the industry possible.
But the structure is what makes it different.
Each challenge recognizes two roles:
• Prover — the person who solves the problem
• Formalizer — the person who converts the proof into a machine-verifiable form
They can be the same person or completely different contributors. Human, AI, or both can take part.
The key idea is simple:
Don’t trust. Verify.
This time, verification isn't about money or transactions.
It is about knowledge.
The project has already announced its Inaugural 66 Prize Problems, divided into Pinnacle, Landmark, Advance, and Contribution categories.
But the wider system is much bigger.
The official website currently lists a problem bank of 1,022 mathematical problems, with information such as solution status, Lean proof status, eligibility, and claim status.
So the 66 problems are the inaugural prize set, while the 1,022 problems form a much broader knowledge base.
What I find especially interesting is the status:
“Proved, pending formalization.”
A problem may already be accepted by the mathematical community, but still need someone to turn that proof into code that a machine can verify line by line.
That makes formalization itself a valuable contribution.
If this system keeps growing, it could become more than a prize.
It could become a public map of mathematical knowledge:
What humans have solved.
What machines can verify.
And what still remains open.
Blockchain gave us verifiable money.
AI + formal mathematics may be moving us toward verifiable knowledge.
That is why I think the Justin Sun Prize is much more interesting than it first appears.
@TRON DAO #TRONGlobalFriends #TGF
It is the mechanism behind it.
Justin explains that much of the blockchain industry was built on mathematics, from elliptic-curve cryptography to hash functions. In his own words, the prize gives back to the foundation that made the industry possible.
But the structure is what makes it different.
Each challenge recognizes two roles:
• Prover — the person who solves the problem
• Formalizer — the person who converts the proof into a machine-verifiable form
They can be the same person or completely different contributors. Human, AI, or both can take part.
The key idea is simple:
Don’t trust. Verify.
This time, verification isn't about money or transactions.
It is about knowledge.
The project has already announced its Inaugural 66 Prize Problems, divided into Pinnacle, Landmark, Advance, and Contribution categories.
But the wider system is much bigger.
The official website currently lists a problem bank of 1,022 mathematical problems, with information such as solution status, Lean proof status, eligibility, and claim status.
So the 66 problems are the inaugural prize set, while the 1,022 problems form a much broader knowledge base.
What I find especially interesting is the status:
“Proved, pending formalization.”
A problem may already be accepted by the mathematical community, but still need someone to turn that proof into code that a machine can verify line by line.
That makes formalization itself a valuable contribution.
If this system keeps growing, it could become more than a prize.
It could become a public map of mathematical knowledge:
What humans have solved.
What machines can verify.
And what still remains open.
Blockchain gave us verifiable money.
AI + formal mathematics may be moving us toward verifiable knowledge.
That is why I think the Justin Sun Prize is much more interesting than it first appears.
@TRON DAO #TRONGlobalFriends #TGF
